Featured Articles from the Glendale News-Press

A recent revelation that Leslie Combs Brand, the so-called Father of Glendale, probably fathered two children with a secret mistress came as a shock to many, but local history enthusiasts are downright delighted. Longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Cecilia Rasmussen, who concluded her “L.A. Then and Now” history column with the piece on Brand on April 6, backed up her scoop with a DNA test that linked Brand to a descendant of his alleged mistress, Birdie Esther Carpenter Gordon.

KATHERINE YAMADA Jessup Certified Farms, established in 1919 by Roger W. Jessup with just 40 cows, brought acclaim to Glendale as one of the largest individually owned dairies in the United States. By the 1960s, more than 1,200 cows were milked twice a day on the 27-acre dairy. Jessup was a young man living in Salt Lake City, working at a newspaper and raising a few cattle on the side, when he met and fell in love with Marguerite Rice, who had just spent the winter in San Diego with an aunt and uncle.

SCHOOL LUNCH MENU GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Today: Nachos and sunflower seeds or chicken patty on a bun or ham and cheese on a French roll or chef salad and low-fat yogurt, includes salad bar with juice and milk. Wednesday: Bean and cheese burrito or hamburger or turkey ham and cheese deli stick or chef salad and low-fat yogurt, includes salad bar with juice and milk. Thursday: Barbecue beef on a bun or chicken nuggets or turkey ham and cheese on a croissant or chef salad and low-fat yogurt, includes ice cream cup, and salad bar with juice and milk.

CHARLES J. UNGER A promise is a promise. Those famous words were spoken by the King of Siam to the Julie Andrews character in "The King and I." Ms. Andrews' character had come to Siam in her capacity as an educator -- they were called teachers back then -- to instruct the children of Siam. Later in the musical, a discussion takes place as to whether the King of Siam will build the teacher a home, which was part of her original deal. The king, played by the inimitable Yul Brynner, uttered the previously mentioned quote.

Alecia Foster LA CRESCENTA -- Areg Hayrapetian's eyes lit up as he explained his science project: "The Effect of the Number of Divisions on the Accuracy of the Area." It's a mouthful to say and a bit complicated to explain but Hayrapetian did so with ease. "I like mathematics," he said with a smile. The seventh-grader was one of four students at Chamlian Armenian School who won in the 51st annual Los Angeles County Science Fair. Hayrapetian took third place in mathematics, while Maral Der Sarkissian took first in chemistry, Shant Krikorian took first in physics and astronomy, and Lara Injeyan captured first in engineering research.

Nearly 60 pounds of marijuana was seized from a Studio City man who was released Tuesday after posting $100,000 bail. Police believe the man was trying to ship marijuana to the East Coast through FedEx. Glendale Police's vice/narcotics team watched Louis Adam Danhi, 28, take a large package to a FedEx location Monday in Beverly Hills. A narcotics dog later identified the box as containing marijuana, Investigator Manny Fernandez said. Detectives found 13 pounds of marijuana in the box. The officers stopped Danhi and allegedly found another 15 pounds of marijuana in his car. Detectives allegedly found another 30 pounds of marijuana in Danhi's home.

DOWNTOWN — Gabriela Walsh, a Valencia resident who works in Glendale, had her heart set on buying a condo at the Americana at Brand — until she learned it would cost her more than $700,000. Americana developer Caruso Affiliated recently announced that prices for the 100 condo units in the retail, residential and entertainment megaplex will start in the “low $700,000s” and cap at more than $2 million. “That’s a bit out of my range,” Walsh said.

LA CRESCENTA — More than a half-dozen people in the Crescenta Valley were arrested last week in connection with drug-related offenses, Glendale police said. While the cluster of drug-related arrests was uncommon, drug issues, particularly among teens, have been a problem in the area, said North Command Lt. Ian Grimes. “It’s definitely something we are asking the officers to focus on,” Grimes said. In the latest arrest, police got a tip Saturday from a citizen who noticed two teens acting suspiciously at the restrooms in Glorietta Park on Verdugo Road, Grimes said.

Art class was in session Saturday, but there were no desks or whiteboards out on Honolulu Avenue, just artists showing their paintings and sharing their techniques with the public during the Montrose Art Walk and Sale. Artists are encouraged to demonstrate and talk about their techniques during the show, said Rose Gamble, administrative assistant for the Montrose Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce, which coordinates the event four times a year. “The purpose of the art walk is to bring knowledge and enrichment to the local community and to make them aware of the local artists who do beautiful artwork of the local and surrounding areas,” Gamble said.

Karen S. Kim Gregg's Artistic Homes might have lost its chance to develop the Oakmont View V hillside property, but over the past 70 years, the Gregg family has built more than its fair share of Glendale. More than 3,000 homes in the city have been developed by the Greggs since Alice Lee Gregg started the business in 1934. Gregg homes are mainly in northwest and northeast Glendale and La Crescenta. "In those areas, it's hard to drive around without seeing one of our homes," Vice President Bob Gregg said.

LA CANADA HIGH SCHOOL La Canada High School Class of 1984 will have its 20-year reunion June 26 at the La Canada Flintridge Country Club, 5500 Godbey Drive. For more information, call (800) 655-7971. HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL Hoover High School Class of 1994 will have its 10-year reunion Sept. 25 at the Hilton Glendale, 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale. For more information, call (800) 655-7971. CRESCENTA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL Crescenta Valley High School Class of 1984 will have its 20-year reunion Oct. 2 at the Hard Rock Cafe, 453 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

The same old sights, vendors and rides revisited the neighborhood Saturday at the Adams Square Street Fair, which was canceled last year due to major construction. The annual event brought live music, food, carnival rides and games to 2,000 to 4,000 visitors a year for six years before being canceled in 2006, said Carol Cianfrini, who is on the Adams Square Merchants Assn. board of directors. "We had a lot of inquiries [last year] as to why we weren't doing it," Cianfrini said.

GLENDALE — Four Armenian officers and one former officer have filed a joint lawsuit against the Glendale Police Department, alleging years of discrimination, derogatory comments and harassment because of their race. Officers John Balian and Robert Parseghian; Sgts. Vahak Mardikian and Tigran Topadzhikyan; and former Officer Benny Simonzad filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, alleging myriad on-the-job discrimination and harassment incidents. When confronted with complaints of the discrimination, command staff failed to respond, according to the federal lawsuit.